I Wouldn't Kill a Dragon
by Astrid of Berk
Summary: Hiccup couldn't, no wouldn't kill the dragon at his final exam, so he fled from Berk, leaving Astrid as heir. But what will happen when Astrid sets out to find the dragon's nest, but instead finds a certain boy and his night fury?
1. Astrid the Warrior

**New Story! Yay! So I did say that I would be writing a Hiccstrid story. This is that Hiccstrid story. It is one of those **_**what if Hiccup left**_** stories because I like those. Hiccstrid still happens, it just happens a few years later. Anyway, Enjoy!**

Astrid's POV

My axe buried itself in yet another tree. How could I have let that fishbone of a boy take _my_ rightful dragon to kill? _I_ was the strong one. _I_ was the fiercest warrior. That dragon's blood should be on _my_ axe tomorrow at the final exam. I turned and threw my axe once again, only to have it strike a rock and fall to the ground in a shower of sparks. I sighed and went to pick it up. The only reason I practiced in this section of the forest was because I had seen Hiccup pass through here a couple of times, sneaking off to somewhere. However, it was nearing sunset and still no sign of the little runt. The woods took on a pinkish hue as I made my way back to the village.

**The next day, at the final exam**

3rd Person POV

The outsides of the training arena were practically overflowing with Vikings. Astrid could see Stoic the Vast, Hiccup's father, laughing and talking to the others who were congratulating him on his son's success. She on the other hand, was not in the brightest of moods. "Where is he?" She muttered to herself. It had been ten minutes since the exam was supposed to start, and everyone was growing restless. After an hour, that restlessness grew into anger. Hiccup was passing up one of the highest honors of the village. More time passed, and some of that anger turned into worry. Some however, were furious. The crowd started shouting at the chief, demanding to know where Hiccup was. Stoic knew that he had no other choice. He rose for an announcement and everyone went silent. "It appears," he bellowed, "That Hiccup has been… delayed." The angry shouts from the crowd started again. "However," the chief said. "We still have a monstrous nightmare that needs killing!" He shouted, his voice going from worried to cheerful. Then he did something that Astrid wouldn't have expected him to do in a million years. He pointed at her. "Astrid Hofferson!" He yelled, earning a cheer from the crowd. "For placing second in dragon training, you have won the honor of killing the dragon!" The crowd erupted in applause. Astrid was ecstatic. She threw her hand up and screamed "I accept!" Next thing she knew, she was in the arena, the cage door slowly being raised to reveal the deadly dragon, which had already set its scales ablaze. It glared at Astrid, hatred in its eyes. It spat its lava-like flame at her and she rolled to the side to avoid getting charred. It did this once more, but after rolling, she charged the beast, her axe above her head and a battle cry in her throat. The dragon, surprised, took a step back, but Astrid was already on top of it. The crowd went crazy, but she could hardly hear it over the rush of adrenaline going through her head. When it tried to snatch her in its jaws, she silenced it. The crowd's cheers turned into the rapid chanting of a name. "ASTRID! ASTRID!" She reveled in her moment of long awaited glory. The chief, however, was not one of the ones cheering. She saw him whispering to a group of men. The group then jogged away in different directions. The reason for this was clear: a search party.

Hiccup's POV

I woke in a cold sweat. I was flying far above the ocean, lying flat on the back of my sleek black night fury. Toothless gave me a worried trill. "Don't worry bud." I told him. "It was just a bad dream." Truly though, the dream had shaken me. The thought of Astrid killing that dragon was painful to think about, so I put it out of my mind. The days of killing dragons were over for me. I once again laid down on Toothless' back and we soared to nowhere in particular.

**So Astrid was the one to kill the dragon (at least in Hiccup's dream). Thank you all for reading! I'll probably be skipping a couple years in the next chapter. Review to let me know what you thought and if you have suggestions! -Astrid**


	2. Hiccup the Peace-Keeper

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for the reviews and I'm glad you like the story! That last chapter was five years ago. Now we come into the present. Clothes and weapons for all of the characters are the same as HttYD 2. It's not quite the time that they'll meet properly, but be patient! (just to clarify, this is NOT the scene described in the summary) Enjoy!**

Astrid's POV

**Five Years Later**

Another boat returned to the dock in pieces. "That's ten ships lost, Astrid" said Gobber. "Maybe this whole 'find the nest' thing isn't the best course of action."

"Nonsense" I replied. "If we take down the nest, we take down the dragons" I then gave him cold glare. "The raids are worse now, and a chief protects her own." _Chief._ The word still felt strange in my mouth. After Hiccup was taken by dragons, the throne of Berk fell to me. Stoic of course was devastated by the loss of his son and was convinced that all of the dragons were to blame. He started obsessing over the search for the nest. Since I would be his successor, he mentored me. However one day, he went out into Helheim's gate in his search, and he and the ships that accompanied him never returned. I swore to myself that I would continue his mission and avenge his son.

I turned my back to Gobber and walked away. The village was under raid and I had no time for his foolish doubts. I saw familiar faces ahead of me. "Tuffnut! Ruffnut! I want you down by the docks fending off those zipplebacks. Snotlout, there are nightmares attacking the catapults. Fishlegs, go take care of the gronkles in the village center. Move!"

They scattered with various calls of "Yes, chief!" If Stoic had taught me anything, it was how to organize a defense plan. Suddenly, I heard a thump behind me. I turned to see a nadder, wings flared, coming after me. I sidestepped and quickly dispatched the creature. To my relief, the sun was peeking over the ocean, and the dragons dispersed. Vikings gathered around me, waiting for orders. I simply said "Tomorrow, we send out five ships." Everyone sighed in disappointment as I walked back to Hofferson house.

**The Next Day**

3rd person POV

A black flash shot through the clouds like a bullet, strait upwards, until it broke the cloud line. The night fury let out a screech of joy before he and his rider free fell back down, leveling out just as they were about to touch the sea, which was swiftly being covered in fog.

Hiccup's POV

I landed Toothless on a little island that we spotted from the air. We had just left the king's nest, where we had begun to call home. "C'mon bud," I told him. He followed me to the edge of the tiny plateau to look out at a misty forest, the leaves on the trees far below a bright orange. "So what do you say? Just keep going?" I asked my dragon. He trilled in response, and I sat down to map this new land. I just happened to look back out to the ocean to see- five ships, with Berk's crest on their sails.

Astrid's POV

"This isn't Helheim's Gate!" a Viking complained. So yes, I had taken a few wrong turns with the ship, but I was stubborn and wasn't about to admit it.

"I saw dragons flying this way!" I announced. "That must mean that the nest is close!" That was only a half lie. Yes, I had seen the dragons, but that didn't necessarily mean that the nest was close. Something felt different about this area as well. It was somehow… friendlier. "We continue on!" I ordered.

Hiccup's POV

I followed the ship, just out of their sight, as they drew ever closer to the icy nest. The one thing I knew about Berkians was that they would destroy the dragon sanctuary if given the chance, and they seemed to have brought the artillery to do so. I saw catapults and Bola cannons strapped to the deck and the Vikings were all heavily armed with swords, hammers and axes. The great king dragon would most likely be able to beat them, but I didn't want them all to die either. There were only two ways for this to end, and I didn't like either of them. The only thing to do was intervene.

Astrid's POV

The fog was thickening quickly, to the point where I could only see shadows. My former excuse had become a reality; there was a dragon's nest close by. The surroundings seemed to become more and more hostile as we sailed on. Suspicious, I yelled "Ready your weapons!" My suspicions were confirmed.

A whistling shriek pierced my ears. The only thing I knew of that made that sound was a-

"Night fury! Get down!" A Viking shouted. Sure enough, a plasma blast hit a rock that we had sailed around. Night furies didn't miss. That was a warning shot. I heard the flapping of wings through the mist, but couldn't see my attacker. Suddenly, the silhouette of a dragon hovered in front of us. I could only see its shadow through the mist. If this was a night fury, we were all dead. Everyone was too stunned to reach for their weapons. Then, I noticed something I hadn't before: the figure of a man sitting on the back of the beast. I was the first to speak.

"Who are you?" I asked the figure in a firm voice that may have held a little venom.

The figure didn't answer my question. He simply said "Go back! Retreat to Berk and don't return!"

The voice sounded vaguely familiar, I just wasn't sure where I'd heard it. In the end I did turn the fleet around, but I said something that I would later regret: "We retreat only for now!" With that the figure vanished into the fog.

**Sorry, I realize that the POVs are a bit too back and forth here. They won't always be like that. Also, Valka is not in this story. Let's just say that the dragons actually did kill her. Depressing, I know, but still. Anyway, it does make sense that Hiccup would find the king's nest. He has been flying around for five years mapping. As always, thank you for reading! Review to give suggestions and tell me what you think! -Astrid **


	3. Loki's Fury

**Hello Readers! This update is dedicated to GamerGurl64 because she wrote me a play! Thank you. That was truly a work of art. Anyway, Enjoy!**

3rd Person POV

When a person sees a ghost, they tend to spread the word. When they spread the word, details get exaggerated. The story of the fleet's encounter with what was now known throughout the village as "Loki's Fury" was that the five mighty ships were blown aside with a single beat of the dragon's wings. It is also said that the great rider of the fury told the beast to fire plasma blasts repeatedly on the ship so that they just barely avoided being blown to bits. A new sense of fear took hold of the village, convinced that the ghost had cursed them. After all, dragon raids were becoming more and more frequent. It was questionable whether Berk had enough food to make it through the upcoming winter. Chief Astrid though, knew the truth.

Astrid's POV

"There is no such thing as the Loki's Fury!" I yelled once again over the crowd trying to stop me from sending out another search. "It's just a dragon loving traitor who is trying to stop our search!" Truthfully, I had no idea, but it seemed like a logical guess.

"And what if it's not?" I Viking yelled back at me.

"Yeah!" yelled another. "This could be a message from the gods!"

If there was one thing I was sure of, it was that this absolutely _wasn't _a message from the gods. The voice I heard was young; the boy couldn't have been older than me. Also, it was strangely familiar, and it was painful not to be able to place it.

I finally grew tired of this bickering. "Enough!" I ordered, silencing the crowd. "This so called 'spirit' is just more reason to go out to the nest again! It must mean that we got very close. These raids won't stop until the nest falls!" I tried to explain. Reluctantly, they all agreed. "Very well," I continued. "We send out all of our available ships tomorrow.

Hiccup's POV

_We retreat only for now._ Those words haunted me as we flew above the clouds. They would be back, and this time, they would be even more heavily armed. I had to think of a plan. I thought back to the encounter. It had seemed obvious to me that the voice that had delivered those condemning words, a girl, no more than twenty, was the leader of the group. Maybe if I convinced her of the kindness of dragons, she would convince the village? It seemed a strait forward enough course of action, so I decided that this was what I would do.

**The next morning**

Astrid's POV

"To Helheim's gate then?" asked Fishlegs, who was on the same ship as me.

"No," I replied, my eyes never leaving the horizon ahead. "We sail north, same direction as yesterday."

"Yes Chief Astrid" he replied before moving to steer the boat." Within a couple of hours, our massive armada of ships was approaching the all too familiar fog."

Once again, I ordered "Ready your weapons" but also, to a Viking next to me, I whispered "Ready a bola cannon." It was a way of alerting the Loki's Fury of our presence while still maintaining an element of surprise. Soon enough I heard the beating of wings, saw a vague shadow, and heard "You shouldn't have come ba-"

I cut off the voice by screaming "FIRE!" The bola launched at the figure, but it swiftly dodged. The cannon was already reloaded. I heard the voice of the boy of to the right again.

"Just listen for a moment!" It pleaded, but another bola was launched and it was once again dodged by the dragon and its rider. Apparently sensing that it was not going to be successful, the rapid flapping of wings retreated upward and out of earshot.

3rd Person POV

The Vikings cheered, believing that they had scared off the ghost. That was until the screech once again pierced their ears and all they saw was a flash of black as their young chief was snatched off of their ship and disappeared into the opaque mist. All that could be heard was a faint roar and her screaming, which rapidly receded as Loki's Fury flew away from the ships, with Astrid as an unwilling passenger.

**It wasn't my original plan to have the story go this way, but once I started writing, I realized that I liked it. Review to tell me what you thought and give suggestions! Thanks for reading! -Astrid**


	4. You just gestured to all of me

**Hello! Thank you so much to everyone who followed and favorite this story! Also, thank you everyone who wrote a review! I'm really glad you like it! This update is a day early because I love you guys. Well, Enjoy!**

Astrid's POV

One minute I was on the deck of the war ship, the next I was flying through the air. In the panic, I realized that I had dropped my axe on the ship. I screamed as the sea grew farther and farther away as we gained altitude. Then, I came to my senses and looked up. I was being held by a midnight black dragon. On its back, I saw the rider. He was small in stature, and wore a strange armor. His face was covered by a black mask.

"Who are you?!" I yelled while struggling against the dragon's grip.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Said that familiar voice. "You do realize that this is a Night Fury, and night furies are strong. Plus, even if you did manage to break his grasp, you would fall to you death." He was calm, and his voice, muffled by the helmet, had an almost amused tone to it. Reluctantly, I stopped struggling.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, but my question answered itself. A huge structure that appeared to be made of giant spikes of ice appeared in front of us. I was speechless. The rider deftly steered us inside of the massive ice fortress and dropped me down on the stone floor. I was unarmed, but a chief must be resourceful. I grabbed a large piece of driftwood off of the ground and held it out defensively at the figure, who had dismounted the beast and was now moving towards me.

"Relax," he said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I don't want to hurt you." He started to approach me, but I just backed up further.

"If that is the case, why would you kidnap me?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Well," he said. "it was the only way that I could talk to you. When I tried while you were on your ship, you attempted to shoot Toothless and me down." I assumed that "Toothless" was the dragon. That amused tone was back in his voice, and I didn't like it. I decided to try to intimidate him.

"You know, throughout the village, there are stories about you; about the great 'Loki's Fury'; how he is a warrior and a brutal force." I smirked. "Well, after hearing those stories, I have to say that I expected you to be a little more than, well," I nonspecifically pointed to him. "This."

The amused tone changed to one of annoyance as he said "You just gestured to all of me."

Something tugged on the back of my mind. No, it couldn't be him. He was dead, long dead. But still, I had to be sure. "Remove your mask." I demanded.

"Sure." He said, and he pulled the dark leather head piece off and ran his hand through his auburn hair. When I saw his face, I gasped. His eyes, forest green and emerald, were extremely hard to forget.

I stuttered. "H- Hiccup?"

A look of confusion crossed his face, followed by a shocked recognition. "Astrid?" he asked.

The shock soon gave way to anger. I raised my makeshift weapon over my head and charged him. "You no good, cowardly, weak, traitor!"

That was a mistake. The Night Fury jumped in front of him, and he unsheathed a sword with a blade that appeared to be in flames. I was not stupid enough to try to take on a fire sword and the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself with a piece of drift wood. "You didn't get taken by dragons! You ran away! With this _beast!_" I pointed at the dragon, who snarled in response.

"Astrid, please! I can explain." Hiccup pleaded.

"I am not listening to _anything_ you have to say!" I shouted back. Seeing that his approach wasn't working, he tried another. "Ok, then look at it this way." He said. "You are trapped on this island, and your only hope to get back to your tribe is me, so you might as well _try_ to trust me."

I knew that what he was saying was true. Slowly, I lowered my weapon.

**Hiccstrid is coming soon! Yay! I threw in a couple of movie quotes there because I thought that that was exactly what they would say at the time. As always, leave reviews to tell me what you thought. Thanks for reading! -Astrid**


	5. Trying to Trust

**Wow! So many positive reviews! Thanks everyone!**

**FergS21: I get the Thor reference there! That was genius :) **

**Enjoy!**

Astrid's POV

I looked Hiccup in the eyes. "You said that you wanted to talk. About what?"

He was obviously pleased that I was being cooperative. "Well, I know that you are searching for the dragon's nest-"

I cut him off. "We don't have to search anymore. This _is_ the dragon's nest."

"No," he corrected. "This is _a_ dragon's nest, not the one you should be searching for."

Hiccup's POV

It was easy to see the confusion on her face. "Wait," she said. "There are _two."_

"There's more than two." I told her. "You honestly thought that all of the dragons came from the same nest?"

"Ugh!" she screamed in frustration. "We had a hard enough time finding _one!_ At this rate, the raids will never stop!" She slammed the piece of driftwood against the stone ground, where it broke in two. Astrid had gotten strong.

"That's not necessarily true." I told her. She listened intently. "Not all nests order raids. At least, this nest doesn't. The king here is gentle and generous. I found out a couple years ago that the nest closest to Berk, near Helheim's gate, is controlled by an evil queen with no mercy."

I could tell that all this talk of kings and queens was new to her. "So, you said that this nest is not the one we should be searching for," she said, thinking. "Could you show us the right one?" Uh oh. I had not expected her to ask that.

"Uh, maybe…" I responded; translation: no.

Another thought came to Astrid. "Why did you pluck me off that ship? To protect this nest?" She gestured to the graceful ice fortress that we were in.

"No," I answered. "I did it to protect your tribe. If you managed to find this and attacked, the great king dragon would destroy you."

She scoffed at this. "We are Vikings." She assured me. "We are tough, strong warriors who have been battling dragons for generations. I think we'd be ok." If only she knew just how wrong she was. I suppose it was to be expected; Vikings were often arrogant. However, it still annoyed me.

"Trust me, you have absolutely no idea what you are up against." I tried to let this sink in, but I could tell that Astrid just brushed this off. Again, the arrogance majorly annoyed me. "Astrid, please. Just, let me show you." I mounted Toothless and held out my hand for her to join me in the saddle. Toothless gave her an encouraging look with his massive green eyes.

She tried to hide it, but I knew that, even if it was only a bit, she trusted me. She came towards me and said "Alright." She climbed into the saddle.

**I know that this is a short chapter, but it really is just kind of a transition. If I had gone into the next, there would be no proper place to end the chapter. Also, Jedi Hiccup: this is not the nest you are looking for LOL! Review to tell me what you thought because I LOVE reading all of your reviews! Thanks for reading! -Astrid**


	6. If you fall, I'll catch you

**Hello! I'm going away for the weekend, so probably no updates for any of my stories until Monday :( Enjoy!**

Hiccup's POV

"Ready I asked?" she nodded hesitantly. "Good." Toothless spread his wings and shot into the sky. To my surprise, Astrid didn't scream, she merely locked her arms around my waist and held on with all of the Viking strength that I knew that she had.

"Hiccup!" she eventually yelled, not because we were going too fast, but because we were steadily gaining altitude, weaving in and out through the rock tunnels that lead to the center of the nest.

"Hey, it's ok." I told her." You won't fall, I promise."

I could tell she didn't believe me. "And if I do?" she said, scowling.

"If you do," I told her. "I'll catch you." The look of surprise on her face told me that this was not the answer that she expected. She was silent the remainder of what I considered a smooth ride, until we reached my destination: the core of the nest.

When the rock caverns opened into the shining ice dome she gasped, not in fear, but in wonder. We soared around the massive ice pillar. She was gazing at the rainbow of different dragons until I told her, "Look down."

Her eyes widened. "Hiccup," she said, but it was barely a whisper. "What is that?"

"That," I said, "is the king of the nest; the Bewilder beast. The great white giant slumbered in the pool below us. "To my dismay, the fear that had just vacated her eyes took root in them again. "Astrid," I reassured her. "Dragons aren't the beasts you believe they are. They are kind, amazing creatures that can bring people together." I had no idea if my words were making any difference, until she looked into my eyes, and I saw the realization in those sea blue irises.

The wind gently swaying both of our hair as we flew on, she said "I believe you."

I let out an exhale of relief that I didn't know I was holding. "Amazing," I said, a small grin finding its way onto my face.

Astrid's POV

I realized something in this moment: This wasn't the runt of a boy that I remember from five years ago. This Hiccup was a warrior, a leader, and was just trying to protect people and show them what he knew to be right. I admired that. "Hiccup," I said. "I- I'm sorry, for the way I treated you back in the village all those years ago. I should've been more kind to you."

"I'm sorry too, Astrid." He said, breaking the gaze that we had locked. "I shouldn't have run away, I should've found a way to show everybody that dragons aren't evil."

"Hiccup," I told him. "They wouldn't have listened, I know I wouldn't have." She said. "You were just protecting your best friend." I scratched behind Toothless' ears and he purred in approval.

"I know," he said. "But it still wasn't right. I left Snotlout as heir, and-"

"No you didn't." I assured him. "Actually, _I_ became chief."

His look of surprise was soon replaced by a look of joy, then to one of amusement. "I kidnapped the chief of Berk and brought her to the dragon's nest."

"Sounds about right." I said, chuckling with him.

That amusement, however, was replaced by a look of deep sorrow. "Wait, if you're chief _now,_ then what happened to…" he trailed off, probably begging the gods that it wasn't true.

I looked down. "I'm sorry, Hiccup. I really am." I saw a silent tear slide down his face, but he wiped it away, for my sake. "Are you ok?" I asked him.

"Yes, yes I'm fine." He told me. "It was just a bit of a surprise." I wanted to tell him that he died a noble death, fighting his way to the nest, but I don't think that telling him that his father died killing dragons was the best way to go here.

"Your father was a good man, Hiccup." I told him.

"I know." He said. Then, he turned his attention to the sky. It was darkening quickly, the bright orange shade seeping through the blue of the ice to fall on our skin. "C'mon bud," he told the dragon. "Let's head in.

We landed just as the last of the light sunk beneath the waves.

**This is where Hiccstrid will pick up. Review to tell me what you thought because reading all of the reviews makes my day! Thanks for reading! -Astrid**


	7. Stormcutter

**Hello Everyone! I AM BACK! Lots of school work and such, but excuses excuses. Anyway, I was thinking about my story line, and had a suspicion that it was a little too rushed. Then, I read Lord Anubis Judge of the Dead's comment, which confirmed my suspicions. Thank you so much for taking the time to write that lovely review! Anyway, I have a twist planned here MUAHAHAHAHA! Well, Enjoy!**

Astrid's POV

It's not like I _wanted_ to betray Hiccup, but it had to be done. Being in the lair of the dragons was starting to freak me out. I saw a ship out in the ocean yesterday, a rather small one with two blue sails. I had no idea whose it was, but maybe if I got to the outside and flagged it down, they would come and get me. It was after that thought that I concocted my plan. I would wait until he was asleep, and then sneak out. To make sure that there was no chance of him following us, I would cut a gash in the beast's prosthetic tail fin. I had noticed it earlier during the flight.

Hiccup didn't snore, so it was difficult to tell whether or not he was sleeping. I was resting on a pile of furs that he usually slept on, but he let me have it and slept near Toothless. I slowly started to get up- only to see him roll over to face the ceiling of the cavern, eyes clearly open. Damn, I had almost been caught! He sighed and said "What am I going to do Toothless?" The dragon, who was fast asleep, did not reply.

I waited for what seemed like hours before I finally saw his closed eyes as he slept. Then, I made my move.

I didn't dare try to take the dagger from where it was sheathed on Hiccup's arm, so instead I found a particularly sharp rock and went to work. First I snuck over to the dragon and gently lifted his tail fin, careful not to disturb him. The brown leather ***Hiccup never got the red one, remember? **was stiff and sturdy, so I had a hard time slicing through it. With the dragon grounded, I decided to make my escape. However, as I was about to leave, I heard a familiar (and sleepy) voice say "Astrid?" Hiccup was awake.

I ran, knowing that he would try to mount the dragon to chase after me, but not be able to fly. I just had to make it to the beach.

The tunnels were extremely hard to navigate, but eventually I saw the dim glow of the starlit sky. Without thinking, I sprinted towards it, toward my freedom, but by the time I tried to stop, it was too late.

What I hadn't known was the Hiccup and I were in a very high part of the sanctuary, and what I was running on wasn't solid ground. It was a massive ice spike. I tried to dig my heels in, but the ice kept me sliding forward, closer and closer to the drop that would surely mean my death. My final thought before I did fall was _Great; I've grounded the one person that could possibly save me. Odin help the tribe when Snotlout is in charge…_

I plummeted down and down, bracing for the impact, but when it came, it was not what I was expecting. It was far sooner than I thought it would be, and the ground was not the black gravel I had seen from the air during the kidnapping; it was what felt like… scales?

I hesitantly opened my eyes to find that I wasn't dead. I never even hit the ground! However, the situation I was currently in was just a frightening as dying from that fall; I sat upon the back of a massive owl-like dragon with four wings and startling yellow eyes. I didn't scream; I was too shocked to scream. Instead I was silent as the great beast carried me off.

**Yay! I know you can guess who that dragon is! I couldn't make Astrid find Stormfly, because at this point, the poor nadder is either still trapped in the arena or dead. Let's hope it's the former! Anyway, please PLEASE review, because I need suggestions! Or, you can also PM me with ideas and such! Thanks so much for reading! -Astrid**


	8. I didn't think I could trust a dragon

**Readers! It's been quite a while! Oh yeah… hehe… about that… I HAVE AN EXPLAINATION! You see, I was attacked by this massive Skrill! Yeah! And I just barely escaped with my life! And it had huge teeth, uh, and-**

**Hiccup: She's lying**

**Me: SHUT UP DRAGON BOY! And it, like, roared at me, and-**

**Hiccup: The only "attack" that happened was the attack **_**you**_** made on that bowl of mint ice cream.**

**Me: (sigh) Really Hiccup? You had to tell them that? Anyway, no, there was no Skrill, but there was a vicious pile of homework threatening to eat me alive. The also may or may not have been this app called Rise of Berk that was really, really addicting… Once Christmas break starts I'll be updating a lot more. Anyway, Hiccup, would you like to do the honors?**

**Hiccup: Sure! Well everyone, Enjoy!**

Hiccup's POV

No, no, NO! Astrid is smarter than I give her credit for. With this big a tear in the tail fin, There is no way Toothless could even get off the ground! Sure I could patch it up, but it wouldn't be fast enough to catch Astrid, who was already booking through the tunnels. I sighed. "Toothless, stay here." I told my dragon before running after her. My metal prosthetic 'clinked' every time it made contact with the smooth rock floor. I followed the vague foot prints that her leather boots made in the dust to an opening. A large ice spike stuck out of the sanctuary at an odd angle. It was strange; the foot prints just stopped here…

Oh no.

I rushed to the end of the ice spike, careful not to slip on its glassy surface. Hesitantly, I peeked over the edge at the ground below-

And jumped back, almost slipping off. A huge orangeish dragon surged upward in front of me, momentarily blocking out the sun. Of course I had seen this dragon before. It was very high ranking in the nest, and I think the book of dragons called it a Stormcutter.

It soared up and up and turned at just the right angle to let me see a small figure huddled on its back.

Astrid?

**Roar!**

I heard the affectionate, yet confused trill of Toothless behind me. I almost made a move to climb in the saddle, but remembered the gash in Toothless's prosthetic and cursed under my breath. I could only hope that the massive four-winged dragon was not going to hurt her…

Astrid's POV

The beast carried me up and up and up. Sometime during the ride I had squeezed my eyes shut, and they didn't seem to want to open now. I felt a light mist on my face as we rose. The feeling of rapid ascension suddenly slowed, and I somehow dug up the nerve to just barely open my eyes…

I gasped, but not in fright. It was a gasp of wonder. The graceful dragon had lifted us through and above the clouds, and what I saw now was the crystal clear inky night sky, spotted with silvery, glistening stars. Never, not once in my life, had I been rendered speechless. I guess there's a first time for everything.

The few clouds that were this high were small. The dragon- I think I remembered it from the book of dragons; a storm…something- wove between them, elegantly gliding and spinning in a complicated dance in the air. I loved the way he seemed to leap between the clouds, a true king of the skies.

Slowly, he descended. I once again felt the mist- which I now recognized as the vapor from the clouds- on my face as we went back to the sanctuary. He landed on the ice spike that I remembered slipping off and helped me down with his strong wing.

I looked into his big yellow eyes and said "Thank you…" I paused "…Cloudjumper. Thank you for saving me." The dragon cooed at his newly given name and flew off.

I turned to see Hiccup staring at me, a mix of shock and joy in his eyes.

**Yes, this is really short, but that's because I NEED SUGGESTIONS! Please PM me or review with story ideas! I'll give you a shout out if you do! Even if I don't use your idea! **

**Hiccup: she has a really bad case of writer's block…**

**Me: WHAT HE SAID! **

**Hiccup: Thanks for reading!**

**Me: See ya all soon! -Astrid**


	9. You can't trust a Viking

**Heyo Readers! No excuses; sorry for not updating sooner. Credit is due! Thank you to…**

**Toothless lover 13; Dante Stormcloud; lintonlfckelly; Lord Anubis Judge of the Dead; TigerLily the Wild; Matteoromeo; Mikowmer; and Trilltroller. Thank you all for the suggestions!**

**P.S. To anyone who asked, Valka was killed by dragons when she was taken. I'm sorry, but I can't go into detail here because none of the characters really know what happened to her.**

Astrid's POV

That look of shock and joy quickly changed to one of hurt, anger, and most heartbreakingly: betrayal.

"Astrid," he said, not looking me in the eyes. "I knew it would be hard for you to trust a dragon, but I was sure that you could do it. I was sure that if I could change your mind, I could change everyone else's on Berk and stop this war." It sounded like he wanted to shout, but just didn't have the energy. "I guess I was wrong." He stated. "I knew that dragons could be trusted. I learned to trust one, and he became my best friend." Toothless trilled at this. "I learned, no, I _tried_ to trust a Viking, and she stabbed me in the back the first chance she got." I realized that he was not really talking to me anymore. He was scolding himself, as if I had confirmed some suspicion that he had had for years, but chose not to accept.

"Hiccup," I pleaded. "I'm sorry. I didn't know-"I stopped myself, realizing that I sounded like a criminal trying at the last second to avoid execution. I decided to try a different tactic. "Hiccup, just get me home, and you can forget about me. You're trying to do me good, I know, but Berk needs their chief. _Maybe," _I stressed the "maybe" to the point where it was comical. "_Maybe _I can work something out to explain to the tribe that dragons shouldn't be killed, but until then-"

"Astrid, if you said that, then you would be lying." He said, finally looking up at me. "I know that you still see dragons as beasts. Also, how can I get you home-"he bent down and stretched out the viciously torn fabric of Toothless's prosthetic tail fin. "When you took away my dragon's ability to fly." To my surprise, he said this calmly, no anger in his voice.

Immediately, I felt awful. I suddenly remembered the Hiccup from when we were in dragon training; Hiccup the Useless as we called him. He couldn't do anything right to save his life. He couldn't lift a hammer, swing an axe, or even throw a bola properly. Now he had finally found a passion; something that he was good at.

And I had destroyed it.

"Well," I said, trying more to get rid of the awful guilt that I was experiencing than to help him. "Can't you just stitch up the leather?"

"No," he replied. "You're actually pretty strong Astrid. The gash not only tore the leather, it also nicked one of the hinges that allow it to fold. I can't fix it without a proper forge and a good set of tools."

Toothless's ears drooped at hearing this.

I was struggling to come up with a solution, almost in a panic. Then I thought of it.

"Then we'll get you to a forge." I told him confidently. "We can sneak into Berk, you can make the fin again, then you leave, and I am back home."

He thought this over. "It could work," he said. "But to get there, you'll need dragons. I can get a few dragons to let us ride them, but only on one condition."

I was sure he could see the annoyance on my face. "So what do you want, dragon boy?"

"I want you to at least _try_ to stop the Vikings from killing the dragons." He told me.

"Ugh," I groaned. "Hiccup, you talk about Vikings like they're some kind of vicious animal! _You_ are a Vikin-"

"No." he cut me off firmly. "I'm not one of them. I never will be one of them." He sighed. "Just promise me you won't kill dragons."  
>"I won't kill dragons unless absolutely necessary." I assured him.<p>

He seemed to accept that this was the best he was going to get. "Thank you, Astrid." He said.

He turned to face the entrance that we had come from. "Now, we need two big dragons; one to carry us, the other to carry Toothless. I was thinking maybe a Skrill would work, along with that Stormcutter from earlier."

"Cloudjumper." I blurted out.

He turned to me, a look of confusion on his face. "What?"

"Cloudjumper." I repeated. "The Stormcutter's name is Cloudjumper."

He smiled. He looked happy, relieved, and almost… impressed? How dare he be impressed with me?!

I punched him in the arm. Hard.

"Ow, why would you do that?!" he exclaimed.

"That was for kidnapping me." I said.

Then I slapped him.

"And _that_ was for the smirk."

He rubbed his jaw and said, "Y'know Astrid, you're not that easy to like."

It was my turn to smirk. "HA! I pride myself on that!"

When he stumbled back from the impact of my fist, he almost tripped over his own prosthetic foot. It clinked against the ice.

"How did you get that?" I asked, curious.

"Get what?" he asked back.

I pointed to the shiny piece of metal attached to his leg. "Y'know, _that."_

He chuckled and said "That's a long story." ***long story will be told later! I promise!**

I decided to brush it off for now.

Despite the small beating I just gave him, he smiled. "C'mon, let's go get your dragon."

I didn't argue as we went to go get Cloudjumper.

**And so, this long overdue chapter comes to a close. Unfortunately, I can't update next weekend because of my very late birthday party, but I'll try to update during the week. R&R! See ya all next update! Thanks for reading! -Astrid**


	10. Astrid's dragon

**Hey Readers! I'm trying something different and writing on a chromebook. Sorry I haven't updated lately… but I'm REALLY excited to start on this story that I'm adopting called Loki's Sons! RotG! HttYD! AVENGERS! Yay! Anyway, let's get to the story. Enjoy!**

Astrid's POV

We found Cloudjumper hanging off of the cavern wall. When he saw us, his head turned in a strange angle. Hiccup started to approach him, but I held him back. "I've got this." I told him. He looked at me doubtingly, but didn't try to stop me.

I neared the four-winged dragon cautiously. He didn't seem to want to hurt me, but I grew up in a community where dragons were to be killed on site; you couldn't blame me for being just a bit frightened. I raised my hand out to him, and in response he gracefully leapt down from his perch. It was the orange dragon's turn to approach me. It's eyes held a curiosity that I had not seen in other dragons. Well, not counting Toothless. Soon he stood mere inches from me. I decided to take a chance. I once again extended my hand to touch his snout.

He didn't even flinch.

Soon enough, I was stroking his warm scales, and he seemed to be enjoying it.

"Wow," a voice said from behind me. I turned to see Hiccup, who I had almost forgotten was here, in awe. "Great job, Astrid." he told me.

Hiccup's POV

Within an hour, we had "enlisted" a deep purple Skrill to help with the mission, and we set off. Astrid insisted that we ride the Stormcutter, now dubbed "Cloudjumper." He seemed eager enough to let Astrid ride him, so I agreed. Soon enough, we were soaring through the sky, Astrid sitting behind me on Cloudjumper and Toothless plopped atop the Skrill. I must say, a dragon riding a dragon is quite a hilarious sight. Berk was still a couple hours away, so for now, we simply enjoyed the flight.

Astrid's POV

And once again, I was here in the clouds. The feeling of flying was… blissful. No, more than that- _addicting._ I felt that, even if my feet never touched the ground again, I would be perfectly content staying up here in the sky, the dying sun painting the clouds a vivid orange. I spread my arms out and closed my eyes, imagining that I was soaring with my own wings, weaving gracefully across the star laden sky. Hiccup snapped me back to reality.

"Enjoying the view?" he asked, though I was sure that he already knew the answer.

"It's… _amazing_." I exclaimed, running my hand through a cloud.

"I know." he said, confirming my thoughts from just a second earlier. "Once you've been up here," he sighed. "You always long to return."

The truth of his statement was profound.

We sat in silence and took in the beauty of flying for a time more, enough time for the last of the golden light to be smothered by the sea, before I spotted two flickering lights up ahead.

Hiccup uttered a single word that instilled immense hope and, for some reason, a bit of anxiety, in my mind: "Berk."

**Short, I know, but the next chapter has lots of action! Also, check out Loki's Sons if you get the chance! It should be up soon. REVIEW! Thanks for reading! -Astrid**


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